Chapter 34
“Cough, cough!”
As usual, Catherine had come to read aloud to Diana.
Reading for two or three hours every day was beginning to strain her throat, and dry coughs escaped her lips.
“Have you caught a cold?”
“…I’m fine.”
Soon it would be Young Lord Sawyer’s birthday.
No matter what, Catherine needed to win back her mother’s favour to attend his party.
Having already lost many points because of Icel, at the very least, she had to read diligently each morning to soften Diana’s heart.
She turned the page, ready to continue.
But Diana, staring directly at her, slowly opened her mouth.
“If you’re sick, stop. Your voice is terribly hoarse.”
Though her voice sounded concerned, her face was calm and indifferent.
As she had planned, Catherine’s voice was already worn beyond repair.
Even if she stopped now, she would likely never regain her once canary-like tone.
Shall I finally twist the knife?
Closing Catherine’s book, Diana smiled faintly. Catherine looked at her in shock.
Diana had never told her to stop before.
“Really…?”
“Yes. I’m worried about you.”
“…Worried?”
She hadn’t shown a hint of worry while Catherine’s voice deteriorated day by day.
Why now? Catherine couldn’t help but ask bluntly.
Even at her rudeness, Diana simply smiled sweetly and said something that left Catherine frozen.
“The Duchess of Iverke values a beautiful singing voice.”
“…What?”
With an angelic smile, Diana spoke lightly, as if it were nothing.
That was why she had forced Catherine to strain her voice.
The Duke of Iverke’s family treasured the arts, and the current Duchess especially prized music above all.
She adored singing.
In her previous life, Diana had arranged for Catherine to learn singing to impress the Duchess.
But now, with her ruined voice, Catherine could never sing beautifully again.
This meant she would never earn the Duchess’s favour.
And without Diana’s help, she would never marry Young Lord Sawyer.
Diana’s lips curled in a relaxed smirk as she asked with feigned innocence:
“You didn’t know?”
Catherine’s face turned deathly pale from shock.
Of course she didn’t know—no one had told her.
“O-Of course I didn’t! You never told me!”
Her trembling voice echoed through the room.
Leaning back leisurely, Diana blinked rapidly.
“Oh my, didn’t I mention it? The Duchess loves people who sing well.”
Catherine’s mouth hung open in horror.
“She’ll hate this… this ruined voice…”
Her chest tightened.
She desperately wanted to marry Sawyer, but now it felt like everything was ruined before it even began.
“Oh, Catherine. Don’t worry.”
“…How can I not…”
“You have me, don’t you?”
Her wavering eyes turned to Diana.
Unlike Alicia, Diana seemed so dignified, like a saviour.
By now, Catherine had completely forgotten who had destroyed her voice in the first place.
With Icel now in Diana’s favour, Catherine believed Diana was the only one who could help her—just as before, her love should be hers alone.
“My dear Catherine, I’ll help you. As long as you listen to me.”
“You truly are my mother…!”
Diana smiled with perfect elegance as Catherine ran into her arms, overcome with gratitude for her false mother.
Later that afternoon
Calypso slipped quietly into the garden.
In its centre stood Icel, waiting patiently.
Seeing him, Icel turned her head and called out cheerfully:
“Father!”
“…Icel.”
Clutching the pink frilled hem of her dress, she ran to him with a bright smile.
Without realising, Calypso stretched out both hands, and she threw her arms around him, looking up with eyes that sparkled like stars.
“I was waiting for you!”
Seeing her pure smile, Calypso’s lips curved softly.
“Were you waiting long?”
“Just a little. But… I enjoyed it.”
“Enjoyed it?”
He looked at her curiously.
Blushing like a peach, Icel fidgeted with her fingers.
“Yes. My heart fluttered… it felt like I turned into cotton candy.”
Her cute, nasal voice was filled with sweetness, and he gently stroked her hair.
“Let’s walk.”
“Okay.”
Her small hand grasped his large one, filling him with warmth.
It felt completely different from walking with Catherine, who always required him to force conversation.
She had been adorable when young, but ever since discovering his affair with Alicia, her demeanour had become sharp and cold.
“The weather is so lovely today, isn’t it?”
“…Indeed.”
But Icel was different.
She felt like a crystal-clear lake glittering with jewel dust.
Letting go of his hand, she stepped ahead and breathed in deeply as if savouring the scent of trees.
“I love this scent. If I could walk with you like this every day… I’d be so happy.”
Her light golden hair fluttered beautifully in the breeze, and her emerald eyes shone brightly.
Calypso smiled sincerely.
Her pure laughter seemed to wash away the gloom accumulated from his lifelong debt and hardship.
Yet… something felt wrong.
Why does she look so happy just to walk with me…?
Curious, he asked softly:
“How did you end up at the orphanage?”
“…Father abandoned me there.”
“…Your father…?”
How could anyone abandon their own daughter?
His face twisted with shock.
Just then, Icel’s steps faltered.
Worried, he glanced at her face.
It had darkened noticeably.
I shouldn’t have asked…
Quickly, he tried to apologise.
“I’m sorry. You don’t have to—”
“It’s okay. My parents… didn’t get along.”
Forcing a smile, she answered calmly, but her expression betrayed deep pain.
“They didn’t…?”
“Father hated me because I looked like Mother… This is… my first time walking with a father.”
“He… hated you?”
Calypso blurted it out in disbelief.
How could a man hate his own child just because she resembled his wife?
Icel forced another small smile as she continued.
“Yes… He never cared about me.”
The truth was, he didn’t even know she was alive.
And when he finally noticed her, his face had been colder than midwinter as he ordered her death.
“He wanted me dead.”
Remembering the agony of dozens of arrows piercing her body, she shivered.
She hugged herself tightly.
Calypso looked down at her with pity.
Taking off his jacket, he draped it over her shoulders.
Icel looked up at him, wide-eyed.
“I shouldn’t have asked.”
“…No. It’s okay, Father.”
It was the first time she called him that out loud.
Her heart was in turmoil—hatred, anger, and a vague longing for a father all mixed into confusion.
She clutched his jacket tightly, feeling his lingering warmth, and tears threatened to spill.
But she couldn’t forgive him just because of this fleeting warmth.
Her resentment ran far too deep.
I won’t be fooled by this kindness.
Swallowing her tears, she lifted her head, letting him see her tear-filled eyes.
“Icel…”
His heart ached at the sight.
He quickly pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her tears.
As tears rolled down her cheeks, she spoke with a faint smile.
“I’m sorry… I was just so moved.”
“…You’ve been through so much.”
“Yes… Father didn’t even remember I existed.”
Calypso’s jaw dropped.
How could anyone forget a child like her?
“…What about your mother?”
Surely, he hoped, her mother wasn’t the same.
But her expression darkened even further.
“Mother… died before Father.”
She stared at him with tear-reddened eyes, enunciating each word clearly.
“Father… hated Mother so much… he killed her.”
“…What?”
As her words ended, a cold wind blew through the garden, stirring his mind into chaos.
Her sharp words pierced him like a blade, shaking him to his core.
